Novel crib construction

ABSTRACT

A child&#39;&#39;s crib constructed almost entirely of aluminum for relatively fault free operation and long life. The crib is provided with hollow aluminum side and end rail members which form the sides and ends of the crib and are secured to respective top and bottom terminating members by a swedging operation. A locking member is provided securing a movable side in any desired vertical position by engaging notches in a respective side rail member. A relatively friction free slide assembly is provided, enabling the sides to be moved upwardly or downwardly. A negator spring, secured to a corner post of the crib, assists the upward movement of the side and serves as an auxiliary safety device.

United States Patent Benoit et al.

[451 Mar. 21, 1972 NOVEL CRIB CONSTRUCTION Roland A. Benoit, Danielson; John H. Curran, Norwich, both of Conn.

Assignee: lnterRoyal Corporation, New York, NY.

Filed: May 25, 1970 App1.No.: 40,264

Inventors:

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Siegel et al ..5/ 100 [57] ABSTRACT A child's crib constructed almost entirely of aluminum for relatively fault free operation and long life. The crib is provided with hollow aluminum side and end rail members which form the sides and ends of the crib and are secured to respective top and bottom terminating members by a swedging operation. A locking member is provided securing a movable side in any desired vertical position by engaging notches in a respective side rail member. A relatively friction free slide assembly is provided, enabling the sides to be moved upwardly or downwardly. A negator spring, secured to a corner post of the crib, assists the upward movement of the side and serves as an auxiliary safety device.

3 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures PATENTEBMARZI 1972 3,649,973

sum 1 UF 3 FIGI F'IG.2 5i l5 M426, 1 5&1/52 g Wmrr A TTORME Y5 PATENTEDMARZI I972 SHEET 2 [1F 3 F'IG.'I

FIG.6

FIG. 91

JOHN CUERAN MARCH, [EFEVEE 3 Wm T7 NOVEL CRIB CONSTRUCTION BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to a childs crib, and more particularly, to a relatively durable crib.

Conventionally, childrens cribs are intended to be used for one or two children, but infrequently, are they used for more because of the damage suffered at the hands of the children. In addition, where the crib is relatively permanently placed, only one side is movable, that is, the side through which the child is placed into and removed from the crib.

Frequently, the mechanical elements involved with the moving side are faulty in operation due to many factors, among them being, the friction wear suffered by the moving parts and the generally fragile characteristics of such parts. Further, it is relatively easy to move the sides of conventional cribs up and down thus presenting a danger factor when a child inadvertently releases the side permitting it to freely slide down. It is relatively important that when the side is in its uppermost position, it be firmly held in place. When such holding action becomes disengaged, it would be desirable to provide an auxiliary safety device tending to keep the side in its up position. Generally, a side of a crib is moved upwardly solely by manual operation, and where many cribs are being supervised simultaneously by a single person, such manual operation may become quite taxing.

Most cribs are made of wood or plastic which tend to suffer great damage at the hands of a child. Therefore, such cribs do not easily lend themselves to institutional use, such as hospitals, where they would be used repeatedly by different children. Such conventional cribs generally are assembled with standard nuts and bolts which merely connect the members together without providing significant additional structural support. Further, such assembly as used for the sides and ends of the crib does not lend itself to easy automatic assembly.

An object of the present invention is to provide a relatively durable crib.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a crib made of relatively durable, yet attractive materials.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a crib suitable for both institutional and domestic use.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a crib with both sides being movable.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved assembly for easily moving the movable sides.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a relatively durable and friction free sliding assembly and guide for the movable sides.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved assembly procedure suitable to mass production.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an improved assembly procedure for a crib where such assembly not only connects the members of the crib together but provides additional structural support.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved locking assembly for firmly locking the sides of a crib in a desired position.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a locking or latching assembly which is easy to operate.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a slide assembly which reduces the fatigue suffered by a supervisor watching and operating a large number of cribs with movable sides.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an auxiliary safety member which tends to keep the movable side in an upward position even when the locking assembly operates in a faulty manner.

Other objects, advantages, and features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the above objects are accomplished by providing a child's crib comprising end posts, sides and ends connected between the end posts with the crib being made of formed and extruded aluminum. The sides and ends are formed by extruded hollow rails which are secured to respective upper and lower terminating members or U-shaped members by a swedging operation which tends not only to secure these portions together, but to provide additional structural support to such sides and ends preventing them from being easily damaged by a child.

A slide member is attached to the ends of each of the movable sides adapted to slide in guides which are permanently secured to opposite inner walls of respective corner posts. Preferably, such slide and guide members are made of nylon or teflon type materials which tend to be both durable and relatively friction free. Such an assembly increases the useful life of the crib while insuring relatively fault free operation.

As an additional feature of the present invention, a locking member is associated with each movable side to fix the respective side in a desired predetermined position. The locking member is capable of being easily operated and holds the side firmly and rigidly in the predetermined position. The locking member is provided with a latch member which includes a projecting member engaging one of a plurality of slots or notches provided in an associated side rail. The side rail is capable of sliding within a bushing member attached to the locking member insuring a relatively friction-free sliding movement.

As still another feature of the present invention, an auxiliary safety member is associated with each moving side which tends to keep the moving side in its uppermost position. The safety member may consist of a negator spring which abuts against the bottom edge of a respective movable side and exerts an upward force on the respective side. Such a force not only serves an an auxiliary safety feature but also tends to make the upward movement of the side less fatiguing.

It may be appreciated that a crib constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention is relatively durable and suitable for institutional use. Suitable safety features are included to protect the child from dangerous situations such as a cap rail which covers the top sharp edge of headers employed with the sides and ends. Use of aluminum as the construction material tends to further insure the durability of the crib and such aluminum material may be provided with any desired color or decoration.

FIG URES FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a crib constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded side view of a side of the crib.

FIG. 3 is an exploded end view of a side of the crib.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a side of the crib showing the elements thereof connected together.

FIG. 5 is a partial sectional top view taken generally along lines 55 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a partial side view of a side rail and header and U- shaped terminating member after being connected by a swedging operation.

FIG. 7 is a partial side view illustrating the locking member used with the crib of the present invention.

FIG. 7a is another partial side view of such locking member showing it out of engagement with a respective side rail.

FIG. 8 is a partial end view of the locking member shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken generally along lines 9-9 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9a is a partial sectional view taken generally along lines 9a9a of FIG. 9.

FIG. 10 is a partial sectional view generally taken along lines10l0 ofFIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a partial sectional view generally taken along lines 1l1l ofFlG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The general appearance of the crib of the present invention resembles those found in the prior art. The crib 10, preferably, is made of aluminum with the various elements thereof formed by extrusion where desirable. The crib is formed by four corner posts 12, 14, 16, and 18 supported on free-rolling or lockable casters 20 in the conventional manner.

The crib includes movable sides 22 and 24 formed by a plurality of parallel vertically orientated cylindrically shaped rail members 23 and 25, respectively. Sides 22 and 24 are connected between a first pair of corner posts 14 and 16 and a second pair of corner posts 12 and 18, respectively. Fixed ends 26 and 28 are formed by a plurality of parallel vertically extending cylindrically shaped rail members 27 and 29, respectively. Fixed ends 26 and 28 are connected between a third pair of corner posts 12 and 14 and a fourth pair of corner posts 16 and 18, respectively. For additional structural support, lower support rails 20 and 32 are connected between end posts 12 and 14 and 16 and 18, respectively. Protective members or cap rails 34, 36, 38 and 40 are placed on the top edges of side 22, end 26, side 24, and end 28, respectively to provide a relatively smooth and rigid surface preventing a child in the crib from injuring himself or damaging the crib. Preferably,

these cap rails would be made of plastic or some other type durable material capable of being formed and fitted on the top edges. In addition, protective members or cap rails 42, 44, 46, and 48 are placed on the bottom edges of side 22, end 26, side 24, and end 28, respectively, to eliminate sharp edges and prevent injury. These cap rails also may be made of a formed plastic type material. Knobs 50, 52, 54, and 56 are placed on top of posts 12, 14, 16 and 18, respectively to also eliminate sharp edges which might cause injury to the infant in the crib. These knobs, preferably, provide a smooth outer surface and are flexible enough to be fit over the top of the posts and be firmly held thereon. Such knobs would be made of plastic, hard rubber, or any other suitable material.

Side 22 is capable of being moved up and down and may be fixed in an intermediate position by means of a locking member 58 adapted to communicate with one of the rails 60 of the plurality of rails 23 which form side 22. A similar locking member may be provided for side 24 to communicate with one of the cylindrically shaped rails 25 forming side 24. For home use, frequently only one side is movable, but in hospitals, both sides are movable in order to more easily utilize the crib. For purposes of illustration, a single locking member is utilized for each side which communicates with a cylindrically shaped rail located approximately in the center of the respective side. Where desired, more than one such locking mechanism may be provided per side.

A mattress 62 located approximately at the middle of the crib extending from side 22 to side 24 and from end 26 to end 28 provides comfortable support for a child and is supported by conventional means. In particular, side brace members 64 and 66 are connected below mattress 62 and between corner posts 14 and 16, and 12 and 18, respectively. Brace members 64 and 66 provide additional structural support for crib l0 and also support cross members (not shown) which are located below and provide support for the mattress. Other suitable support arrangements may be provided for mattress 62 which insure comfort to the infant resting thereon. The above description of crib 10 is presented as an introduction for the more specific details to be described hereafter, and where suitable, reference will be made to the crib description of F 1G. 1 for purposes of clarity and orientation.

FIGS. 2 through 6 illustrate one principle of the present invention. Each of the side cylindrical rails 23 is formed of extruded aluminum tubing and each rail is slideably connected to a pair of upwardly and downwardly facing terminating members 72 and 74, respectively, extending the length of the sides which are U-shaped. Headers 76 and 78 are secured to the tops and bottoms, respectively, of the plurality of side rails 23 and extend the length of each side with downward bend member 80 provided at the end of upper header 76 and upward bend member 82 provided at the end of lower header 78. Bores 84 and 86 are provided through bend members 82 and 80. The function of bores 84 and 86 will be explained below.

Each side and end is assembled in a similar fashion and a detailed explanation will be provided for the assembly of side 22 which is applicable to the other side 24 and ends 26 and 28. The terminating or U-shaped members 72 and 74 with bores 73 and 75 through their bases, respectively are slidably mounted on each cylindrical side rail or tube. Each upper U- shaped member 72 simultaneously is forced to its uppermost position on respective side rails and held there while each lower U-shaped member 74 is forced to its lowermost position and held in that position. Each side and end rail is hollow aluminum extruded tube member. A plurality of swedging tools simultaneously are placed inside the top and bottom open ends of each rail and the U-shaped members 72 and 74 are firmly fixed in place by the ensuing swedging operation which is more clearly seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, which illustrate the deformation of the rail member. In essence, the top and bottom portions of each tube member are swelled by the swedging operation firmly fixing the U-shaped or terminating members in position. After the upper and lower U-shaped members are fixed in position, the cap rails or protective members 34, 36, 38 and 40 are fitted over the legs 88 and 90 of the U-shaped members which are flexible enough to permit such a fitting but rigid enough to insure a secure attachment, thereby preventing the protective members from being removed from their protective positions.

FIGS. 7, 7a, and 8 illustrate another principle of the present crib invention. As described briefly above, locking member 58 is adapted to communicate with one rail 60 of the plurality of vertically extending side rails, preferably, one located at the middle to permit the movable side to be firmly fixed at its top, bottom and several intermediate positions.

The locking member 58 is provided with formed latch support .plate 92 consisting of a generally rectangular vertically disposed forward portion 94 terminating in a generally horizontally disposed upper portion 96 which itself terminates in a slightly overhanging portion 98 generally being vertically orientated and parallel to forward portion 94. Support plate 92 is rigidly secured to side brace member 64 and crib by means of rivets 100, or the like, secured between forward portion 94 and the brace member.

A latch member 102, generally being L-shaped is provided with a forward portion 104 adapted to engage a respective side rail and a sidewardly displaced rear portion 106 adapted to be manually operated. The latch member is pivotally secured behind forward portion 94 of latch support plate 92 by means of a suitable pivoting connection 108. One end of a spring member 110 is fixedly secured to the support plate 92, while the other end of spring member 110 is fixedly secured to latching member 102.

A bore 1 12 is provided through upper portion 96 of support plate 92 with a bushing 114 secured therein. The diameter of the bushing is slightly larger than the diameter of the respective side rail 60 permitting easy movement of the side 22 through bushing 114. The side rail 60 is provided with a plurality of notches 116 adapted to be engaged by the engaging base member 104 of L-shaped latch member 102. In'operation, the latch member 102 is normally held in a first fixed position by the biased spring member 110. The latch member is manually moved to a second position disengaging the engaging base member 104 from a notch in the side rail 60 permitting the side 22 to be moved up or down, as desired. It may be appreciated that such a single locking member 58 securely fixes the side rail in any desired vertical position.

FIGS. 9 and 9a illustrate still another embodiment of the I principles of the present crib invention. This embodiment 28, and corner post 16. Fixed end 28 is secured to corner post 16 by means of a suitable threaded bolt 120 passing through a wall 122 of the corner post and engaging one side 124 of fixed end 28.

Movable side 22 is slidably secured to corner post 16 by a slide member 126 which is secured to an end of movable side 22 by means of a threaded bolt 128, or the like passing through the slide member and end through bore 86 described above with reference to upper header 76 of FIGS. 2 through 4. It is understood that a similar connection is made between another slide member and bore 84 of lower header 78. The slide members, preferably, are made of a molded nylon or teflon permitting relatively friction-free movement. The ends 130 and 132 of generally L-shaped slide member fit between respective pairs of guides which may be projections or tits 134' and 136 and be embedded in opposite inner walls of corner post 16. The pairs of projections, preferably, extend the height of the corner post and may be made of nylon or tefion to minimize the friction occuring during the sliding movement of side member 22.

It may be appreciated that the slide member and guides, preferably, are made of relatively durable material to increase the life of the sliding mechanism and insure relatively faultfree operation.

FIGS. and 11 are more detailed views ofa lower corner of the crib illustrating yet another principle of the present crib invention. A description will be presented for corner post 16 and movable side 22, but it is to be understood that such description is equally applicable to the other corner post assemblies. In particular, side support or brace member 64 is secured to corner post 16 by means of a bracket member 138. One side 140 of bracket member 138 is secured and fixedly attached to corner post 16 by means of suitable connection means 142 and 144 which may consist of conventional communicating bolt and nut members, while the other end of bracket member 138 is provided with adjustable slot members 146 and 148 adapted to receive connecting members 150 and 152, respectively. Connecting members 150 and 152 may consist of conventional communicating bolt and nut members securing bracket member 138 to the side support or brace member 64. The adjustable slot members 146 and 148 permit the crib to be initially assembled with minor alignment adjustments made prior to final assembly.

One end 154 of a force means or spring member 156 is secured to corner post 16 by conventional connection means 158 while the free end 160 of the spring member abuts the bottom of side member 22 and pushes upwardly against the bottom edge of lower cap rail 42. The free end of the spring member, preferably a negator spring, consists ofa coiled end portion. When side 22 is in its uppermost position, free end 160 exerts minimum upward force on the side, while as the side 22 is lowered and the coiled end portion uncoils from its naturally coiled position, correspondingly upward force is applied to side 22. In this manner, it may be seen that the negator spring serves as an aid when the movable side is raised, further insuring the fault-free operation of such movable side. Each corner post may be provided with such a negator spring abutting the bottom edge of the contiguous movable side.

The fixed end 154 of spring member 156 is secured to the corner post at a position above the uppermost position of the lower terminating or U-shaped members when the movable side 22 is in its uppermost position. In addition, it may be appreciated that such an exerted upward force on the movable side tends to serve as a safety device and minimizes the effort required to raise such side.

In the above description, certain direction orientated terms were used, such as upper and lower. it is to be understood that such terms are utilized to provide a more clear explanation of the construction of the crib, and therefore, should not be construed in a limiting sense.

To comply with established Patent Law, the above description is set forth to describe preferred embodiments. Many changes and modifications ma be made by those skilled in the art, and such changes and mo ifications, although not specifically shown, are intended to be included within the scope of protection available to this invention by reason of this patent application.

What is claimed is:

1. A crib for a child's use of the like comprising a plurality of corner posts, at least first and second side members connected between first and second pairs of respective corner posts, at least first and second end members connected between third and fourth pair of respective corner posts, said side and end members being provided with upper and lower terminating members forming the top and bottom of respective side and end members, said side and end members having a plurality of parallel vertically directed side and end rail members, respectively, said rail members being formed by hollow members, atleast one of said first and second side members being vertically movable, a locking means associated with said movable side member, said locking means maintaining said movable side member in a predetermined position, each of a pair of said upper and lower terminating members associated with respective side and end members, said plurality of upper and lower terminating members being slidably mounted on respective side and end rail members, said side and end rail members being deformable to securely fix respective upper and lower terminating members in upper and lower positions, respectively, said locking means being provided with a support plate fixed to said crib, a latch member pivotally secured to said support plate, said latch member being fixed in a first position and movable to a second position, said latch member securely holding said movable side when in said first position, said latch member being provided with a projecting portion, said locking means being slidably associated with said side rail members, one of said side rail members being provided with a notch, said projecting portions being adapted to engage said notch to fix the vertical position of said side rail member.

2. A crib as set forth in claim 1, wherein said locking means is provided with a spring member, one end of said spring member being secured to said support plate and the other end of said spring member being fastened to said latch member, said spring member urging said latch member to said first positron.

3. A crib as set forth in claim 1, wherein said locking means is provided with a bore and a relatively frictionless bushing capable of fitting in said bore, said bushing being slideably associated with one of said side rail members. 

1. A crib for a child''s use of the like comprising a plurality of corner posts, at least first and second side members connected between first and second pairs of respective corner posts, at least first and second end members connected between third and fourth pair of respective corner posts, said side and end members being provided with upper and lower terminating members forming the top and bottom of respective side and end members, said side and end members having a plurality of parallel vertically directed side and end rail members, respectively, said rail members being formed by hollow members, at least one of said first and second side members being vertically movable, a locking means associated with said movable side member, said locking means maintaining said movable side member in a predetermined position, each of a pair of said upper and lower terminating members associated with respective side and end members, said plurality of upper and lower terminating members being slidably mounted on respective side and end rail members, said side and end rail members being deformable to securely fix respective upper and lower terminating members in upper and lower positions, respectively, said locking means being provided with a support plate fixed to said crib, a latch member pivotally secured to said support plate, said latch member being fixed in a first position and movable to a second position, said latch member securely holding said movable side when in said first position, said latch member being provided with a projecting portion, said locking means being slidably associated with said side rail members, one of said side rail members being provided with a notch, said projecting portions being adapted to engage said notch to fix the vertical position of said side rail member.
 2. A crib as set forth in claim 1, wherein said locking means is provided with a spring member, one end of said spring member being secured to said support plate and the other end of said spring member being fastened to said latch member, said spring member urging said latch member to said first position.
 3. A crib as set forth in claim 1, wherein said locking means is provided with a bore and a relatively frictionless bushing capable of fitting in said bore, said bushing being slideably associated with one of said side rail members. 